


Canine Cupids

by anythingbutplatonic



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Cute, Dogs, F/M, Fluff, Max may have also been in on it, William is a secret matchmaker for his dad, because every fic should have dogs, dad!Oliver, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 10:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15141275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anythingbutplatonic/pseuds/anythingbutplatonic
Summary: Felicity loves the dog park.After one particular visit, she definitely loves the dog park.





	Canine Cupids

Felicity’s favourite place in Star City was the dog park. 

 

It wasn’t  _ originally _ the dog park. When she’d first arrived five years before, it had been the little Internet cafe a couple of blocks from her apartment that made exquisite croissants and sold unlimited coffee before 11am. After that place closed six months later, her new favourite place was a coffee shop that let you sample dozens of different coffees from around the world for free and gave you a homemade, food-of-the-actual-gods almond biscotti with each one. 

 

(She put on quite a few pounds there.)

 

Now, in the past few months, her favourite place had once again changed, and it was now the lush green dog park in the north of the city, close to the bay so that you could smell the water and the freshness of sea mist on the air in the cooler months. 

 

It was all because of her French bulldog, Ada, who had stolen her heart away five months ago when she’d seen her sitting in a crate inside the Star City Pet Rescue Center, her sweet face looking glum as she watched passers-by walk past the window without so much as a glance.

 

Felicity Smoak had fallen in love, and took Ada home with her that same day, and they’d been inseparable ever since. 

 

The little dog was like a breath of fresh air she hadn’t even known she’d needed; she’d never had pets growing up, there hadn’t been the space (or the money) and their landlord had been greedy and bad-tempered, yelling at her mom for not paying the rent when she worked herself to the bone to scrape enough to get by on. As a girl, she’d get jealous of her classmates who had dogs or cats or rabbits or birds, but had long given up her dream when she moved to the big city and started working full-time as an IT director for a prestigious technology company.

 

Ada was playful and sweet, happy to curl up on Felicity’s feet in the evenings while she worked overtime for her very demanding boss; she fell asleep most nights to her gentle snores, and woke up with eager licks across the face and an enthusiastic yapping that seemed to say  _ C’mon, mom, it’s a brand new day! Let’s go! _

 

And when she’d had a bad day, her soft tan fur was just right for pressing her face into, inhaling her clean doggy smell and feeling her wet nose against her neck, a gesture of condolence for the shitty day she’d had.

 

So now, whenever she had free time, she took Ada to the dog park, to let her run and play an feel the grass under her paws, while Felicity worked on her tablet or read a novel or the newspaper, and if she’d been an especially good girl she’d let her have a lick or two of ice cream from her cone before they left.

 

Today was no different; going stir-crazy looking at reams and reams of data reports her boss wanted her to analyse, and tired of being cooped up in the house while the sun streamed through her apartment windows, she fetched Ada’s collar and leash and headed for the park, making sure to pack a bottle of cold water and Ada’s dog bowl, as well as sunscreen for herself.

 

It was hot out,  _ so hot _ , but she desperately needed to stretch her legs and, well, there really was nothing better than sitting on a park bench watching Ada try to chase her stump of a tail, her pink tongue lolling out and ears twitching as she picked up the scent of other dogs and tried to get them to play with her. 

 

Sunglasses perched on her nose, Felicity tilted her head up to the sun to let the rays warm her face, absently swinging her legs as she did so, just because it felt like the right thing to do when sitting on a park bench in the sunshine in the middle of summer. 

 

She was pulled out of her thoughts suddenly by a very frustrated voice yelling, “Max! MAX! COME BACK HERE!”

 

Taking off her sunglasses, she looked for the source of the commotion and found a teenage boy with ruffled brown hair panting after a large, shaggy-furred Golden Retriever, who he appeared to be chasing. “Max!”

 

At the scent and sound of the other dog, Ada perked up, yipping happily at having someone to play with; and Max the elusive Goldie jumped up onto Felicity’s lap, massive paws on her knees, and began to lick her face very enthusiastically. 

 

“Aaah!” she shrieked, falling into peals of laughter as the dog’s long, wet tongue tickled her face and neck. “Ah, Max, stop it, you cheeky little-”

 

“ _ Max!” _

 

A much deeper, second male voice boomed out, and Max jumped off her lap obediently, still wagging his tail like a windmill, pink tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Ada went up to him and sniffed, and, deciding that he was okay, sat down beside him, looking rather hilarious next to the enormous dog. 

 

“Sorry, dad,” the boy said apologetically, scuffing his sneakers in the grass. “He decided that he just  _ had _ to chase a bird. And then he made a new friend,” he stuck his thumb in Felicity’s direction, and they shared a shy smile.

 

She liked this kid.

 

“Hmm, have you been harassing people at the park, Max, huh?” the older man asked, crouching down at eye level with the dog and scratching his chin affectionately. “Have you?” Then he turned, and smiled. “I hope he didn’t scare you.”

 

And Felicity’s heart might have skipped a beat or two, sitting there on that park bench, because  _ sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the guy was  _ cute _. _

 

Lightly tanned, very muscular, with bright blue eyes and perfectly white teeth, and dark blond hair that was just long enough that it stuck up a little bit in an adorably messy way - the same hairstyle, she noticed, was sported by the boy who must be his son, except his was a rich chestnut brown - this guy was, well, very hot.

 

And she was gawping at him, like an idiot, because she didn’t know what to say when really hot guys with really cute dogs approached her in the dog park.

 

“No!” she squeaked, cursing herself for waiting so long to respond. “He’s a great dog. I think Ada likes him too,” she said, looking at where she was busy sniffing at Max again, her ears flicking this way and that. 

 

“Ada?” the boy interjected. “Like Ada Lovelace?” 

 

“Yeah, actually!” Felicity beamed. “You’re actually the first person to realize that, so thank you.”

 

The boy shrugged. “I like math and science.”

 

“He’s much smarter than me,” the man chuckled. “I don’t do much in the way of help with homework, unfortunately.” He stood, rubbing Max’s ears tenderly. “I’m Oliver, by the way. This is Will - William. And you’ve already met Max.”

 

“I’m Felicity,” she said somewhat breathlessly. “And you’re hot.”

 

She didn’t realize the words had come out of her mouth until she heard Oliver’s booming laugh, deep and infectious, and the quite sniggers coming from William; she was instantly mortified, but - wait, was Oliver  _ blushing? _

 

“You’re quite beautiful yourself, Miss-?” he asked.

 

“Smoak,” she croaked, her face aflame. “Felicity Smoak.”

 

“Felicity Smoak,” he repeated, a slow smile spreading across his face, drawing attention to the pink spots on his cheeks. 

 

“Uh, dad?” William said tentatively. “I’m gonna go and….take Max...for an ice cream cone...over there,” he waved vaguely, obviously not wanting to be around anymore in what was probably a very awkward situation for him. 

 

“Sure, buddy,” Oliver said absently - but didn’t watch him leave as his eyes stayed fixed on Felicity’s face, holding her gaze the way she thought people only did in movies.

 

“May I?” he asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to her on the bench. She nodded, her heart beating fast, her palms sweating like she was fourteen years old again and having her very first crush.

 

“William’s not very subtle,” he laughed. “This is gonna be embarrassing, but he’s been trying to get me a date for about a year now.”

 

Felicity’s eyebrow arched. “Lonely single dad?”

 

“Something like that,” Oliver replied. “Will’s mom died a couple years ago and since then it’s just been me and him. He thinks I need a girlfriend to stop me moping around the house so much.”

 

“Oh!” she said. “I’m - I’m really sorry, y’know, for your wife’s loss,” she said. 

 

“She actually wasn’t my wife. I’ve never been married, to anyone. It was...complicated,” he explained, and the expression on his face told her that he didn’t particularly want to talk about it. She could understand that, having a complicated relationship herself with her own parents.

 

“How long have you had Max?” she asked, quickly changing the subject so that she didn’t have to see the downcast expression his features had taken on when she’d asked about William’s mom. At this, Oliver brightened visibly.

 

“As long as William’s been with me,” he said. “We got him a few months after he moved in with me. Things were hard, for both of us, and my mom of all people suggested that a dog might be helpful. He’s been a huge emotional support for both of us, and I honestly couldn’t imagine not having him now.”

 

“I know what you mean,” Felicity replied, bending down to scoop up Ada, rubbing the top of her head just where she liked it. She pressed a kiss to her soft furry crown. “I honestly think that, aside from mint chip ice cream, this little girl is the love of my life.”

 

The silence that followed for a while was a comfortable one, Felicity stroking Ada while Oliver watched them both, unbeknownst to Felicity; it was nice to sit here, with a cute guy, enjoying the space and not having to stress so much about making the perfect impression. 

 

“Can I ask you something, Felicity?” Oliver said after a while. 

Felicity turned to him, Ada still in her arms. “Sure.”

 

“Would you like to have dinner with me?”

 

_ What????? _

 

Felicity’s breath caught in her chest. Was he for real? Was he asking her out on a  _ date _ ? 

 

“Yes, I am asking you out on a date,” he said, answering her non-verbal question, and the same pink blush returned to his cheeks as he suddenly looked away, nervous.

 

_ God, he really is so cute. And so is his kid _ , she thought. 

 

“Yes!” she blurted. “Yes, I would like to, y’know, go for dinner. With you.”

 

“I promise Max won’t try to jump all over you next time,” he grinned. “I guess he really wanted us to run into each other.”

 

“I’m glad he did,” she smiled back. 

  
  


Yup, the dog park was  _ definitely _ her favourite place in Star City now. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a prompt by a donor for my Fundraising Fic Drive in aid of RAICES Texas. Info can be found on my Tumblr (queensoverwatch) and twitter (@lornabee_)


End file.
